29 Iranian women arrested for protesting obligatory veil

Women forced to cover heads since 1979. The protest movement at its peak since December. Iranian activist: they are saying 'enough'. There is still discontent in the country, which erupted last month in violent protests against the regime.

Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - At least 29 women were arrested yesterday for participating in the campaign against the obligatory veil, report Iranian police, quoted by the Tasnim news agency.

Iranian women must cover their head under law since the 1979 revolution, and the punishment for infringement is arrest, a fine or a warning. On 27 December, the Tehran police had announced more permissive measures, reporting that failure to comply with the obligation in the capital would not lead to immediate arrest.

The protest movement against the veil has spread since December, when social media circulated images of a woman wielding a white scarf tied to a stick. The girl was arrested, only to be released later. Her gesture was imitated in recent days by several Iranians, and also by some young men.

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian activist who fled to New York in 2009, launched the #WhiteWednesdays and #MyStealthyFreedom campaign three years ago, in which women share pictures of themselves bareheaded. "We are fighting against the most obvious symbol of oppression," comments Alinejad. "These women are saying, 'Enough is enough. We are in the 21st century and we want to be ourselves ".

The Iranian people are pushing the regime for greater freedom and better living conditions. A request that last month resulted in violent protests in which 25 people lost their lives. Two days ago, President Hassan Rouhani held out his hand to the Iranians and warned the Islamic regime: if the authorities do not listen to the critical voice of their own people they risk incurring the same fate that 39 years ago brought down the regime of the Shah .